North Korea's ruling elite prepares for once-in-5-years party meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presiding over the 13rd plenary meeting of the eighth central committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and other top officials have gathered to discuss preparations for the ruling party's first full congress in five years, state media reported Wednesday. The top-level meeting will set new priorities as the US and South Korea seek a resumption of talks with North Korea.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim presided over a plenary meeting of the Workers Party's Central Committee on Tuesday. It said participants began discussing unspecified key issues related to the party congress and reviewing this year's state policies.

KCNA gave no further details, but observers say the plenary meeting will likely last a few days and set an official agenda for the party congress, which is expected to be held in January or February.

The congress, the top decision-making organ of the Workers’ Party, was revived by Kim in 2016 after a 36-year hiatus. Experts say Kim aimed to increase the party’s authority as part of efforts to solidify his grip on power.

The focus of outside attention on the congress is whether Kim will respond to US and South Korean efforts to improve ties. North Korea has steadfastly rebuffed the US and South Korea's calls to resume talks since Kim's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019, but some experts say Kim could return to talk with the US next year.

In an apparent response to Trump's repeated outreach, Kim suggested in September that he could return to talks if the US drops “its delusional obsession with denuclearization” of North Korea.

Meanwhile, South Korea's military said North Korea fired several artillery rounds off the North's west coast on Tuesday. Observers say the artillery launches were likely part of the North Korean military's wintertime training.

Last year, Kim declared that his country was abandoning its long-standing goal of peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered the rewriting of the North’s constitution to mark the South as a permanent enemy.